Stuart Woods - L.A. Dead

The judge turned to the prosecution table. "Ms. Chu?"

The young woman rose. "The District Attorney calls Detective Sam Durkee."

Durkee took the stand, and under questioning, established that the murder had taken place.

When it was Marc Blumberg's turn, he rose. "Detective, you've testified that Mr. Calder was shot with a nine-millimeter semiautomatic pistol."

"Yes."

"Did you find the weapon?"

"No."

"Did you search the Calder house and grounds thoroughly?"

"Yes."

"How many times?"

"Three, over two days."

"And no weapon?"

"No."

"Did you search any other house for the weapon?"

"Yes, we searched the home of Felipe Cordova, the Calders' gardner."

"Oh? When?"

"Yesterday."

"I'm glad you got around to it. Did you find the weapon?"

"No."

"Did you search the house or grounds of Beverly Walters?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because she's not a suspect."

"I see. You say you searched the Calder house thoroughly. In your search, did you find a white terrycloth robe?"

"No, but I wasn't looking for one."

"When you arrived at the Calder house and first saw Mrs. Calder, what was she wearing?"

"A bathrobe, or a dressing gown, I guess you could call it."

"What was it made of?"

"I'm not sure; some sort of smooth fabric."

"Could it have been either cotton or silk?"

"Yes, I suppose it could have been."

"Could it have been terrycloth?"

"No, I'm sure it wasn't."

"What color was it?"

"It was some sort of floral pattern, brighdy colored."

"No further questions."

The D.A. called the medical examiner and elicited testimony on the autopsy results, then, "Your Honor, the District Attorney calls Beverly Walters."

Beverly Walters appeared through a side door and was sworn. Chu began by taking her through her previous story of having heard Arrington threaten to kill her husband, then she continued. "Ms. Walters, where were you on the afternoon of the evening Vance Calder was murdered?"

"I was at the home of a friend, at a swimming party."

"And after you left the party, where did you go?"

"I went to Vance Calder's home."

"And how did you enter the grounds?"

"Through a rear entrance."

"Did you ring the doorbell?"

"No, I entered through the door to the pool and sneaked into Mr. Calder's dressing room."

"Was Mr. Calder present?"

"Yes."

"Where was Mrs. Calder?"

"She was taking a bath, I believe. That was what Mr. Calder told me when I spoke with him earlier."

"Having reached the dressing room, what did you do?"

"Mr. Calder and I made love."

"In his dressing room?"

"On a sofa in his dressing room."

"Was this the first time you and Mr. Calder had made love?"

"No, we had done so on a number of occasions."

"And where did these trysts take place?"

"In his trailer at Centurion Studios, in his bungalow there, and at his home, always in his dressing room."

"On the earlier occasions, when you made love in the dressing room, was Mrs. Caider present in the house?"

"Yes. We timed the meetings for when Arrington was in the tub. When they went out in the evenings, she was as regular as clockwork; she'd spend half an hour in the bath."

"Why did you take these risks?"

"Vance found it exciting, knowing that Arrington was in the house. He loved taking chances."

"After you had made love that evening, what did you do?"

"When we had finished, Vance began getting dressed and said I should leave, that Arrington-Mrs. Calder-would be getting out of her bath soon."

"And did you leave?"

"Yes, I left through the same door I had entered by."

"And after leaving, did you have occasion to return to the house?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I heard a gunshot."

"How did you know it was a gunshot?"

"I didn't, at first, but when I peeked back through the glass doors, I saw Mr. Calder lying on the floor of the hallway. Mrs. Calder was standing next to him, holding a gun in her hand."

"She was just standing there? Was she doing anything else?"

"She was screaming at him."

"What was she saying?"

"I don't know exactly; it was pretty garbled. I did hear her say 'son of a bitch.'"

"Was Mrs. Calder directing this abuse at Mr. Calder?"

"Yes. There was no one else there."

"What did you do then?"

"I ran back to the car. I didn't want Arrington to shoot me, too."

Stone glanced at Arrington. Her face had reddened.

Chu turned to the defense table. "Your witness, Mr. Blumberg."

Marc stood. "Mrs. Walters-it is Mrs . Walters, isn't it?"

"Yes," she replied, her mouth turning down.

"What were you wearing on this occasion?"

"I wasn't wearing anything," Walters replied. There was a titter among the reporters present.

"I mean when you arrived at the Calder residence. What were you wearing then?"

"I was wearing a robe. I had removed my swimsuit in the car."

"What sort of a robe?"

"A terrycloth robe."

"What color?"

"White."

"Did the robe have a hood?"

Yes.

"When you left Mr. Calder's dressing room, you were wearing the white terrycloth robe with the hood?"

Yes.

"Was the hood up?"

"Yes, my hair was still wet."

"You and Vance Calder argued on that occasion, didn't you?"

She looked startled. "I don't know what you mean."

"He was all finished with you, wasn't he? And he told you so?"

"No, I told him we were finished."

"And he didn't like that?"

"No, he didn't."

"So you did argue."

Walters flushed. "If you could call it that."

"No further questions," Marc said. "I ask that the witness be instructed to remain available; I may wish to recall her."

"The witness will remain available," the judge said.

Chu stood again. "The District Attorney calls Felipe Cordova."

The bailiff brought Cordova into the courtroom; he was sworn and took the stand.

"Mr. Cordova," Chu said, "you were gardener to the Calders?"

"I cut the grass every week."

"Were you present at the Calder residence on the evening Mr. Calder was murdered?"

"Yes."

"For what reason?"

"I was looking to steal something, if I could." He didn't appear to be embarrassed by this answer.

"Did you have occasion to approach the rear door of the house and look inside?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I heard a noise, like a gun."

"When you looked inside, what did you see?"

"I saw Mr. Calder, lying on the floor bleeding, and Mrs. Calder standing there, and a gun was on the floor."

"And what did you do?"

"I ran. I didn't want to be caught there."

"Your witness," Chu said to Blumberg.

Marc stood. "Mr. Cordova, you say you saw Mrs. Calder standing next to Mr. Calder's body?"

Yes.

"How was she dressed?"

"In a bathrobe."

"What kind of bathrobe?"

"You know, the terry kind."

"Terrycloth?"

"Yes."

"What color?"

"White."

"Did the robe have a hood?"

"Yes, she was wearing the hood."

"Did you see her face?"

"Not exactly."

"Was she facing you?"

"Not exactly."

"Well, if you didn't see her face, how do you know it was Mrs. Calder?"

"I seen her before, you know, and I recognized her shape." He made a female shape with his hands, and the courtroom tittered again.

"Since you never saw her face, is it possible that the woman you saw was not Mrs. Calder, but another woman?"

Cordova shrugged. "Maybe."

Marc turned to the judge. "Your Honor, could we have Mrs. Walters back for a moment to try something?"

The judge waved both lawyers forward. "Just what do you want to try, Mr. Blumberg?"